Tricks of Fate
by Lix9799
Summary: Years ago, this young little stump of a girl never would have dreamed of parting with her Lord. He left her, and she found her place, her dream, what she knows that she was destined to do. Or so she believed. If she truly did, then why is fate so cruel?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything of or pertaining to Inuyasha, except original characters. If I did, I would be living it up in a mansion who-knows-where.

Please **read and review!** Thanks!

Chapter One: The Moon

The crescent moon was shining.

The beautiful night displayed splashes of stars in the dark sky. She could hear the wind, tousling the tree leaves and howling through the fosrest. A milky streak of light from the waning moon was all that guided lonely travelers after dusk. The air was cool, elt as though it contained miniscule droplets of water that would settle on bare skin and them shiver, much cooler than it was during the sweltering afternoons that were spent digging up crops or plowing fields. Many of the villagers took the advantage to bask in the fresh air before retiring for the day.

The crescent moon was shining.

Rin frowned before harshly pulling the strings that held the straw curtains back and allowed the room to be engulfed in its usual darkness. Fumbling around, she lit a small branch with a flickering flame and hung it from the wall to provide lighting in the cozy room. She felt odd watching the moon.

She tucked her bow and arrows safely beneath the bed, so that they were in easy reach in case of a night raid and unstrapped her dagger from the arm. On the hilt of the dagger, a delicate crescent moon was engraved in the smooth silver, which matched the one in the current night sky. The sharp edge of the blade was kept in a thick leather sheath which also bore the mark of her Lord. She left the dagger on the wooden floor beside her bed.

Rin did not know why she never used the dagger. Perhaps it was because she hated close range combat and the stench of blood when it spattered on her spotlessly clean haori. Perhaps it was because the delicate blade seemed too precious to ever use on a lowly demon that could easily be destroyed by arrows. Or perhaps it was because it was a merciless reminder of her powerful Lord and she didn't dare look at the fine keepsake for more than a few brief moments.

She swiftly changed out of her light blue haori and pulled on her night one. It was a plain kimono, made of bland white fabric, hardly a sign of wealth and prosperity, yet she kept it because it had touched her liking years ago. The edge of the kimono had a faint blue line of silk, which bordered the fabric and added color to the powder-white complexion. Kagome had given it to her.

She kept it next to the lavishly embroidered silken kimonos that her Lord still sent her. It was the only kimono she had that fit.

Rin took off her sandals, laid them in her shelf and climbed into her tiny bed. The flame went out moments after.

Rin woke to the early bustling of the small village. The sun was barely up, yet the entire village was up and about. She could hear Miroku's children playing with Inuyasha and Shippo, and hoped that they wouldn't pick up off of Inuyasha's foul mouth. The marketplace was already swarming with girls Rin's age, bargaining for silks and furs that cost vast amounts of money. She heard village mens' spades and plows, and horses whinnying and prancing about, carrying their masters' load. Rin blinked the fuzz out of her eyes. Sunlight was filtering through the straw curtains.

She quickly dressed in her usual apprentice haori and combed her hair with a wooden comb that Kaede had helped her carve. She placed it next to the ivory comb that her Lorb had brought her years ago. It, too, had the mark of his reign, a sliver cresent moon.

Rin gathered her weapons, filled a wooden canteen with water and hurried outside. Kaede's temper had been waning with her age and she didn't want a long rebuking.

As soon as Rin stepped outside of her hut, she was greeted by a cheerful, "Rin!"

She took a few minutes to rid her muzzy brain of sleep and tried to put a finger to who was standing in front of her. The sun was a bright contrast to the shade and coolness inside her room.

_Ah, it's Kohaku. Wonder how his mission went. _

"Kohaku!" She ran up to her friend and gave him a quick hug.

Kohaku grinned the grin that Rin had come to adore. He was wearing his demon slayer uniform and was the only one who did these days. Sango had to raise her five children and hardly had time to set foot out of the village, not to mention demon slaying. Kohaku had acquired Kirara from his sister and the kitten-transformed demon cat leapt into his arms. His weapon was stashed safely in his belt and he look exactly as he had years ago. Sure, he had grown, as did everyone, but his smile remained a mirror copy of the one Rin remembered. He had a larger weapon of the same type, put his hair in the same updo and wore the same uniform. And he was still Rin's friend.

"Is my sister home?"

"Oh, yea, she was taking care of Mitsuki and Mitsuko. They'll want to see you."

The two twins were Sango and Miroku's youngest, and the best troublemakers of their time. They had so many tricks up their sleeves Rin would sometimes wonder how Sango put up with the two. Yesterday, they had Shippou show them some of his fox magic. They spent the rest of the day experimenting on their own type of magic and in the evening, Miroku's study was in ruins. Mitsuko was quieter and more observent, and followed everything her brother, Mitsuki, planned. When she wasn't too busy messing around with people's crops, sometimes Rin would ask her to help gather crops, because Lady Kaede had become to stiff to climb to the forest.

"So, after I go check on the two, would you like to go slaying with me, Rin?"

Rin smiled. _Yes! _She tried to look nonchalant. After all, she had learned a few new techniques that she would, innocently, like to demonstrate to her friend. "See you at the clearing in twenty minutes."

She ran back to the home and met Lady Kaede at the entrance. Lady Kaede was still the head priestess of the village, and had been since before Rin could ever remember. The old miko was definitely aging, yet her temper seemed to get shorter and shorter. Lady Kaede had been the sister of a very powerful priestess named Kikyo and Kagome was her reincarnation. Both of the women were very skilled in spiritual power, but because Kagome had married Inuyasha, she was no longer eligible to be the priestess of the village. Lady Kaede had been spending the last few days trying to find suitable candidates for the next village headman (or woman, in her case). Many men had come to their front door in the morning and begged for the mere prospect at her position, but she had refused all. Rin began to worry that the miko was looking for somebody with spiritual power, though there was nobody in the village who was blessed with those talents.

The miko was proud, she wore a white haori with scarlet red pants, which typically displayed that the person was a priestess or monk with high spiritual power. Her face may have been wrinkled, but the wrinkles came from the smile that she gave her "daughter". Rin returned the smile.

"Hello, Rin. I've been looking for ye, where have ye been?"

"Oh. Lady Kaede, Kohaku is back from his mission. I saw him on my way here." She went over to the tree where the miko's steed was tied and brought the steed over. "Kohaku wanted to go demon slaying and said that I could go. Can I borrow your horse?"

Lady Kaede seemed disconnected from the conversation. She looked at Rin with feverish eyes. They made Rin squirm. "Er… Lady"—

"I think ye can do it." The miko nodded at Rin, not really answering her question and Rin felt strange.

_What was wrong today?_

"Are you a-alright, miLady?" Rin had been worried about the old miko's health, it was the priestess who had cared for her when her Lord left her after all, and she owed much to her_. I'll bring her some herbs. The heat is getting to her._

"Rin." Rin looked up. She was glad to see the priestess smiling, even if it was the faintest smile. Rin could tell that Lady Kaede was troubled by an idea, not the heat now.

"Yes, miLady?"

"How would ye like to be the next village headwoman?"

Rin stared for a moment too long. She knew the offer was coming, but not to _her._ Was it just- Lady Kaede wasn't thinking clearly. Rin stared for a moment too long.

Then, she didn't know what made her do it.

She _ran_.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything... Now please don't sue me :D

Sorry, it's been awhile... School sucks. **Please read and review!**

* * *

Chaper Two:

Rin was running. She had been for, oh, she couldn't even remember how long she had been running anymore. She also forgot why. It felt like she was supposed to run. So, she kept running.

She made it a few more yards before realizing that she was being stupid and wasting her energy; she skidded to a halt. Her hair was wild, not that she noticed or truly cared, and stray branches had torn scratches into her previously scratch-less skin. She thought she would pass out- her legs were aching, her heart was pounding and, well, she didn't know why, but she was feeling _bad. Awful, _to be more specific.

Rin wiped her face with the collar of her soiled light-blue haori and sank down to the fall foliage. The finely-wrought leaves were soft against her back and she was rather glad that she was away from the village. Sunlight was filtered out through the crispy yellow-shaded leaves and there was hardly any sound, except for Rin's heavy panting and the whisper of the wind through the plant growth. The warm sky was hardly visible through the canopy of trees but Rin could estimate it to be around midday, for she had left soon after speaking to Kaede well in the morning. Rin was thankful to be away from people, questioning stares and angry reprimands-though she would have to bear those after she went back.

This was, perhaps, one of those moments when she understood her Lord's seemingly favorite cold remark, _silence is golden. _

_Her Lord. _There he was in her thoughts. _Again._

Rin groaned and sat up. _You pathetic weakling. _She began what looked like a faint grin when she realized how much she sounded like her Lord. Leaves clung to her frizzy hair and dirtied clothes. She wondered what he was doing nowadays. Did he still remember the clumsy little runt that trailed behind him? She doubted it. Tears began to waver her vision. _Stop it, you moron. _

She hated herself for being so... ignorant, hopeful, what ever the heck she was feeling. And how the metal dagger was strapped to her arm beneath her haori like, pathetic isn't it, like a memento? Rin hastily wiped away her blurry eyes before the tears could actually form.

It took her awhile before she could calm back down and retire to the previously-made imprint of her body in the forest floor.

* * *

"Lady Kaede?" Kohaku was upset that Rin had not shown as promised. "Where is Rin?"

It did not help that the old priestess was also upset for some unknown reason. The miko pointed in some vague direction and warned him that she would not be pleased to see anybody. Then she stepped back into the hut leaving a bewildered Kohaku behind on the steps.

Kohaku was not in a good mood. It was hard to be, after spending a mere twenty minutes, which felt like hours, with the twins. How he wanted to wring their tiny necks! Reminding himself that Rin adored the two and would be thoroughly distressed to find them strangled, he exercised his self control and, for safety measures, stuffed his hands back into his pockets.

_Now, where was I?_ The sun was high in the sky. _Oh, right. Rin._

He quickly changed into his demon slayer uniform, something that he had come quite accustomed to doing, and dashed towards the edge of the village. The twins chased after him for awhile, but gave up when they saw a young man carrying a barrel of wheat and scampered off to do some devilish thing they always did. He, the awful person he was, didn't even have time to feel sorry for the man.

He prayed to Kami that Rin did not go slaying herself. He'd never let her know, she was hardly able to fend off a low-level demon, without out the help of Kirara and he. _I hope she didn't do something reckless. _

He realized that he would need Kirara to help him track her. In his anxiety to get to Rin, he forgot that he had no way to track her down. He cursed his idiocy and ran back the way he had come.

* * *

Rin woke. She assumed a few hours had passed, after all, she had been "out" for what felt like days. She pressed a palm against her temple and stood up.

If someone had been watching her from afar, it may have been quite humorous to watch her stumble around like a drunk. Rin, however, did not find it amusing in any way and was frustrated that she had no idea where the heck she was. Her sword was, thankfully, still strapped her her waist. Her bow and arrows were stowed away on her back-she wondered how she'd slept with them pressing against her spine- and her dagger, well, was concealed under her sleeve like always, and had still had yet to be used.

Her canteen, however, was empty. She would have cursed, except her throat was too dry and scratchy to produce any type of sound whatsoever. She began her search for a stream nearby. _And while I'm at it, _she moaned while picking dried mud and leaves off of her clothes, _a bath couldn't hurt, either._

_

* * *

_

Kohaku grabbed the kitten and was on his way out when Sango insisted on him bringing food with him. "You're looking for Rin?" she had asked. "Well, here, bring something for her too. She'll be hungry."

The food smelled good.

_Ah, well._

He climbed onto Kirara's back and they were off. The wind nearly knocked him off of Kirara's back and he quickly grabbed onto the fire-cat's coat, careful not to yank out any of her furs. She would be grumpy.

* * *

He had been searching for hours, even the kitten was tired. He had been looking for so long that he wanted to add Rin to his "strangle list" behind the twins. But, for some odd reason, he chuckled with the realization, he just wanted to see her smiling face, hear her light, chime-y laughter and... and... He just wanted to be next to her.

He mentally slapped himself. Soon, he would have trouble convincing himself that all she was was his little-kid sister. He tightened his grip on his weapon when he heard a low growl from the woods.

_Please stay safe, Rin._

_

* * *

_

Rin was sitting beside the river. She had no intention of heading back to the village, even though the sun was starting to set. She knew that Kaede and Kagome wouldn't be so lenient this time. This was her third "excursion" in a week, and the villagers were probably getting tired of having to scavenger hunt for a disoriented teenage girl every evening. _Ah. Well, I didn't ask for them to waste their breath._ Birds were flying overhead- all she could make of them was a fuzzy outline of their silhouette in contrast to the orange-streaked sky. She wondered where they were going. _Well. Duh. _They were flying to their home. Something Rin felt that she still didn't have.

She sighed and shook the droplets out of her wet hair, before she let herself get too sentimental. Rin enjoyed feeling clean. She stood up and brushed off the water on her legs. It was cold, and she wanted to find something to do before freezing herself to death.

The wind was tousling her hair, tugging it this way and that. Her hair was straight, something that she hadn't known until after her travels with her Lord were over. She had always longed for the smooth, silky hair that the rich girls in her previous village had, as opposed to the dirt-streaked, mud-coated fringe that covered her head. After a nice, thorough wash one day in the stream, she noticed that it was something she did in fact inherit, and she marveled in how her hair would swirl and twist and do all of those fun things the "prissy" girls did with their hair.

Not that she did much with her beautiful hair. On good days, she put it in a loose pony-tail, like the ones that most common village girls wore, and one others, she just left it down and cursed when it got in her way. On one particularly bad day, she took out her sword and hacked off a good ten inches of her hair and tossed it into a campfire. Kagome then helped her fix her lousily cut hair and made her swear not to get "crazy explosive moments" like that.

_Hn. _

She spotted a daisy. And another. Another. The flowers smiled at her and she smiled back.

For once in her life, she felt completely care-free as she looked for daisies to make a chain with.

_Mental correction_. For once in the past decade, she felt completely care-free.

Before that- well. She didn't even want to think about before that. Rin left that trail of thought behind and busied herself with the glowing patch of daisies before her.

* * *

_Stupid girl. _Kohaku cursed. _Her friggin' trail dissappeared?_

Kirara was circling around a certain river, growling, or making that weird sound she always made when she was confused and worried. He picked her up, she was in tiny mode, and cradled her in his arms. "She'll come back, don't worry Kirara."

_Feh. _He was having trouble believing that.

He sat down on the riverbank, the kitten curled up in his lap. "I wonder where she ran off to."

The cat purred in response. Or what Kohaku thought was a response. Maybe she was just purring because he was stroking her.

He sat silently for awhile, enjoying the peace that he knew was soon to be left behind, lest he head back to the village. The river was so clear that he could see the pebbles beneath the flowing water. There was one that looked like it was shaped like a heart.

He wadded up his pant and slowly inched into the water. Kohaku waded through the current, keeping his eye on the tiny pebble, and prayed that the miniature heart wouldn't be swept away. Kirara watched him wide-eyed on the bank.

_Ha! Got it! _He leaned over the grab the pebble and grinned triumphantly when he reached it.

Kohaku didn't really know what happened next. It took him awhile to let his mind catch up when he noticed that he was sitting on his rear end in the cold water. Kirara was... He swore he was the first person to ever see a laughing kitten. "Kirara! It's not funny!"

He groaned. Where were his demon slayer reflexes when he needed them?

* * *

Rin completed the last of her daisy chain when she heard a strange noise behind her. Dropping her masterpiece, she turned to see a demon.

A low level one, of course.

_Eh. Make that two._

She had no idea how the heck the demons snuck up on her while she was making the flower chain- it had been completely silent because she had been listening to the wind for secret messages from the spirits. She blushed at how stupid that sounded.

Rin stood there, completely frozen. _Idiot! Move!_ She screamed in her mind. _Nobody is gonna save your ass this time! _She winced at the realization. Her Lord wouldn't be there for her. Neither would Kohaku. She had never faced a demon alone before, well, actually, she did, and that ended with her dying.

She had no idea how she would get out of this.

The demons seemed to be multiplying by the second.

She cursed/screamed in her mind. _Do something you idiot!  
_

I'll wait for one to lunge at me first, then I'll kill it.

_Nice game plan there, wimp._

Shut up.

She had no idea how she would get out of this.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Inuyasha. Do people realize how _irking_ it is to write this little sentence over and over and over again?

Anyways: Thank you Taraah36 for reviewing! You rock :D *gives hug*

Please **read and review. **Then I will love you (not in a creepy way) too. XD

And so I give you...

* * *

Chapter Three: Savior

Rin was shrieking so loudly in her mind that she realized it was a miracle she wasn't deaf yet.

She wondered what would happen if she just gave up. Then her soul would feed these low-level demons and she would be formed into a demon. And then, _he_ would accept her as... something important. Rin choked back a sob. He would take her, as a demoness, away to his lands and she would live happily, ever after.

She mentally punched herself. _Moron. _

She had learned the hard way that freaking fairy tales didn't come true. Of course, there was the rare occurrence of some lucky bastard- her mind jumped to Inuyasha and Kagome- but she had figured that she was one. After all, her parents were already dead. And she was just somebody that had no particular fate- she was destined to be an ordinary village woman, living in an ordinary home with ordinary kids and an ordinary husband, doing _ordinary_ things.

And the more Rin thought, the more reckless she felt.

And the more reckless she felt, the happier she was.

So she decided to take a chance. She would fight, yes, but she knew that in the end, the vast number of demons would overpower her, the wimp she was. It was her honor on the stake, to know that she gave in fighting, but there was no hope.

She mentally punched herself again, _what kind of hero are you? _She was trembling at the knees and felt as though she would pass out any second now. The feeling of freshness that she had been savoring just moments ago had just.. left her... and this empty longing was now replaced with an emotion Rin knew too well. Fear.

She had no need to feel fear when _he _was with her. In fact, she supposed her fight-or-flight reflexes had gone out of practice thanks to the pampering safety she had felt before.

A snake demon lunged for her. She yanked her sword out of its sheath and held it in a defensive stance above her head. _Pretend like you know what you are doing. _She grinned._ Idiot. _

She stopped herself from another mental punch and made a mental note not to be too frequent with the mental punishments. Her brain would be bruised silly if this kept going on.

The other demons were watching the girl and the low-level snake battle it out, as if taking the opportunity of assessing their next prey, which she realized to be herself. The snake demon hissed and did some snake-like movement towards her and she swallowed a scream.

Long range attacks. _Remember your training with Kohaku, dumbass._

She plucked an arrow out from her quiver with amazing speed and shot it. The arrow struck the demon in between its eyes and as it was distracted, she brought her sword down on its neck, cleanly splitting its head from its body.

_Gross. _She groaned. _This was my nice haori!_

Her previously cleaned outfit was spattered with snake blood and she wanted to vomit. The reek of blood was strong and she resisted the urge to flee.

She hardly had time to do anything before the next wave of demons came towards her. _Don't flinch, don"t flinch, don't flinch!_

She flinched. A centipede demon took the second of hesitation t swoop down, knocking her sword from her hands. The low-level demon was too close to her for her to use her arrows, she realized and grimaced.

She screamed as the demon lifted her up with one of its many clawed hands. Its razor sharp claws punctured her skin. _Shit!_

Without thinking, she whipped out the dagger from underneath her sleeve and stuck it into the centipede's heart. The monster's blood spattered all over her haori, which she didn't even bother complaining about any longer. She dropped to the ground in a hardly graceful manner, surrounded by the remains of the demon she had just slain.

Her arm was bleeding. She stumbled to catch her step, noticing the swarming demons around her. _Damn it! _She swore and tried to reach her sword. It was just a couple yards away.

Pain shot up from her leg when the other group of demons attacked.

She killed a few with her arrows.

She killed more with her dagger.

Rin could hardly register what was happening. The only thing that she could hear was the shrieking of the demons. The only thing she could see were the dead carcasses and alive demons. The only thing she could feel was a searing emotion, which she acknowledged as pain.

Something sharp struck her from behind. She screamed as pain shot up her body. Her knees gave way and she fell to the ground on all fours, retching and coughing. She saw blood.

Blood. Rin prayed that the blood in a puddle around her feet was not hers. It was sticky and warm.

Is this what dying feels like?

She knew that of all people, she would be the one to answer. No, it has to go black first.

Everything went black.

* * *

And that was how Kohaku found her, lying on the ground in a puddle of blood, being swarmed by merciless demons.

He slayed all of them, hardly noticing that he did, and dashed over to her, gently picking her up. _What is this emotion? What is this? _He dabbed at a trail of wet on his cheek. _I feel so empty inside. _He had learned years ago that this emotion would be categorized as sadness.

Kohaku picked her up, wiping dirt and dried blood off her face.

He prayed that the blood in the puddle around her feet was not hers.

"Rin." He didn't dare shake her, she was so vulnerable.

Kirara fended off the rest of the demons while he tried to bandage up her wounds. Lady Kaede and Kagome would have to see her soon. It was dark already, they should head back soon, but he couldn't risk opening her wounds again with travel.

He took out the medicine that slayers carried with them and carefully rubbed it into her wounds, careful not to worsen the damage.

He couldn't help but flinch when he got her blood on his hands.

* * *

Rin came back to consciousness just a couple hours later. Kohaku was staring intently at her.

"Kohaku?" He grimaced, then managed to pull off a fake smile.

Kirara curled up in her lap. Her purring was the only other sound besides the crackling of the fire.

"Rin. How are you feeling?"

Her back ached. "Fine."

Medicine did wonders, she appreciated, and graciously thanked her savior. His smiled faded, only to be replaced by a mix of frustration, worry, anger, and something that Rin couldn't put her finger to. "Why did you- Oh, we'll talk later."

She was glad he hadn't gone on with his questioning. She wasn't sure if she knew the answers herself, either. Instead, Rin sat up, ignoring the gasp coming from Kohaku, and suggested that they go sit by the river.

He complied, though she was sure he was agreeing only because she was injured. "But you can't move yet."

"Your medicine healed the wounds pretty much entirely already." And with that she stood, brushing off her blood-stained haori.

"Awww, now I have to throw this away," she complained, picking at her clothing. "And it was my favorite, too. Kagome gave it to-"

Somehow, she ended up in Kohaku's arms with a tiny shriek.

"Like I said before, you shouldn't move yet."

Kirara growled her agreement and the cat earned herself a dirty look from Rin.

* * *

Kohaku set her down, with the most gentleness she had ever known in her life, and sat beside her, careful to leave her some space.

Rin stared up at the moon. The luminescence it gave off was stunning; the lonely light contrasted deeply with the darkness around it. Little stars peppered the black canvas, each shining a different shade of yellow, white or blue. Light was strewn across the night sky, which inspired the crickets to sing and chitter along with a lazily hooting owl. The crescent moon was shining.

"Thank you Kohaku."

He smiled. "No problem."

The river was still sloshing languidly along with the current, reflecting the thousands of stars above.

_"Lord Sesshoumaru?" The tiny runt had asked once. "What happens when a star dies?"_

_She looked expectantly at her Lord._

_"It merely disappears." Her Lord gave a brief reply before ordering Jaken to prepare Ah-Un._

_Her smile drooped. She had been expecting a better answer. "But won't anybody feel sad for the star?"_

_"Human! What stupid questions you ask!"_

_"Shut up Jaken." Her Lord turned away._

_"But won't anybody feel sorry for the star?"_

_"No."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because there are millions of others."_

_"But they all shine differently! They're all unique! Like me, and Jaken, and Ah-Un!" The distressed girl was becoming teary._

_"Come on, human! Do you want to trouble our Lord with all of your silly questions?"_

_"Jaken." The imp froze. "Shut up."_

Rin sighed.

"Thank you, Kohaku."

"You already said thank you." He stared at her in amusement.

"No, thank you for being so kind to me." She stared back. "You're the kindest person I remember."

He blushed the blush that Rin had come to adore. "You're welcome, Rin. You're the kindest person I remember too."

He couldn't help but notice how they were sitting by a river, at night, staring up at the beautiful painting of stars.

He also couldn't help but smile when she was close to him.

So close that their shoulders were almost touching.

* * *

There, you got your dose of fluffy. I hope you liked it. :D

You see this button?

He really wants you to click him.

He'll give you a virtual hug if you click him. :D

V V V V


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything. Unfortunately.

Thank you Taraah36 and Blitz Girl for reviewing! *gives hugs*. You guys ROCK!

Please **read and review**! If you do, I will update more :D (don't know if that is a good thing...)

Anyways... Enjoy!

I went for a new perspective. Tell me if you like it :D

* * *

Chapter Four:

The sun baked sweat and grime on my face as I trudged along with Kohaku. I was hauling a bale of hay- my punishment signed by the villagers who were again upset that they had to go look for the me. It was a hot, sweltering day. Even the cows were too sweaty to move. My hands were slippery with sweat and beads of perspiration trickled down my cheek. I didn't even want to know what I looked like right now; my haori was plastered to my back and my hair to my face.

Lady Kaede had treated my wounds as soon as I had gotten back from my escapade and given me a few days of rest. My shoulder was stiff, but I couldn't blame it on my already-healed wounds anymore. As soon as I was ready to work, the villagers had swooped down on Kohaku and I and demanded that we make up the work they missed when they had to search for us. Those jerks- They were currently sitting in the shade, drinking sake and playing cards, every now and then throwing a bored look at us. Lazy bastards. I should have enjoyed those "rest" days.

We grumbled our way past the group of children, who were scuffling in the grass and screaming like crows. They stopped and took the chance to make monkey-faces at us. _Yeah, that looks _real_ flattering on you guys, morons. _If I wasn't busy being crushed by my huge load of hay, I would have bashed the brains out of those devils. And beaten up Shippo, who was sitting beside them smugly and showing off his new fox demon tricks.

I snorted at the irony. Mitsuko, whose name meant "child of the light", was busy punching her sister, Mitsuki. Either Sango didn't know what light was, or she had just been delirious when naming the brat. I winced when Mitsuki managed to sink her teeth into her assaulter's arm. Her name meant "Beautiful moon". If the beautiful moon had been present during Mitsuki's naming, the moon would have withered away in shame.

Kohaku paused and stared at me. "Rin, give me your load."

He was already carrying a load bigger than mine. And he was sweating as well, though not as much as me. I wouldn't let the villagers have the pride in seeing me give up on this torture. Heck no. If those lazy boars wanted the satisfaction of seeing us give up and snivel at their smelly feet for forgiveness, they would have to come out right and say it. I shook my head, "No way, Kohaku. Two people work fast than one. Plus I was hoping we could get this over with so we can go"-

Kohaku gave me a bewildered look. "You're seriously not planning to run off again? After what happened last time?"

"Well, last time wasn't a complete disaster." I snapped, and then shut up, finally understanding how _stupid _that comment made me sound. _Not a disaster huh? Then I don't know what a disaster it. _ "But we can always just help Lady Kaede extinguish more demons, there seems to be an endless supply of those losers."

He shook his head and said no more. As if- As if he was disappointed in my naiveté. _Not you too. _

For some odd reason, I felt the need to defend myself. "It's not like I'm weak! Stop treating me like a wimp!" The defensiveness suddenly turned to frustration and I threw down my hay. "I'm stronger than all of those other girls in the village, and they can run off whenever they want!"

He continued staring and I groaned, realizing that I had just put on one heck of a show. Hastily, I picked up the hay.

"Let's go, Kohaku."

He continued gaping. _What are you staring at? It's not like I grew an extra nose. _I made a mental note to myself about asking Kagome how she got the necklace. The one that caused Inuyasha endless amount of pain. Yes, I chuckled evilly. That one.

"Come on, you idiot!" I tried to throw my bale of hay at him.

* * *

Sesshomaru paced around his office. He sat down. Then, he got up and paced around some more.

_Insolent beasts. _He sat down. _Insolent beasts. _He tossed his fur behind his shoulder and impatiently grabbed a scroll and pen.

_Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, is requesting your presence on the new moon. We will discuss important matters then. _

He paused.

_If Lady Chitose wishes my presence, she may come as well. _

He paused again. To refrain from shredding the paper.

_Please respond by sending a servant to bring the news to my retainer, Jaken. _

_Lord of the Western Lands._

He carefully pricked blood on his index finger with his claws and pressed it to the parchment, leaving the mark of the Lord.

"Jaken."

The foot-and-a-half tall demon waddled into his master's study, eager yet cautious. His master didn't seem to stay in a good mood after discussing or hearing news of the Lord of the Northern Land's requests. "Y-yes? Milord?"

"Take this letter to the Northern Lands." Jaken fumbled to catch to elegantly tied roll of parchment and hastily made his leave.

"Take this letter to Inuyasha's village."

Jaken stopped still in his tracks. "M-milord?"

He smartly shut up when his lord threw another perfectly-aimed letter at his head.

Sesshomaru watched through his narrowed eyes as his retainer left his room. _Troublesome imp. _He turned to his desk and looked at the calendar.

It was a gift from Rin.

The calendar was not like most, it had been made to last a decade. Most of the useless pages he had already torn out accordingly and tossed away, not thinking twice. It was not until just now that he realized that there was only one lonely page left. He did not want to tear it out of the binding, for it was all that he had left of Rin.

_So?_

This question made him freeze mid-stride. _Damn._

He picked up the calendar that he had thrown down on the floor for his servants to clean up. "So what?"

He tore out the last page. It ripped with a gut-wrenching tear. Sesshomaru tossed the now-useless calendar aside. The cover was decorated with a hand-sewn pattern of lilacs. _Hmph._

Sesshomaru tucked Baksuaiga safely in his sash and swiftly swept out of the room. A visit to the village sounded nice.

How long had it been since he had seen Rin? It felt like only a week ago.

Sesshomaru picked up the calendar, thoughtfully. _Maybe she'll be pleased to see this. _After all, she had spent months with the embroidery.

He hid it in his haori. It was cold against his chest.

Sesshomaru checked to see if there was anything that he had forgotten. Tenseiga was already with Baksuaiga.

He took a few tentative steps to the door.

That's when the shock of realization hit him.

_Damn!_

_How _long _has it been since I've seen Rin?_

The empty calendar reminded him that it had been a decade.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing. You sue- And you get NOTHING. :D

Thanks to awesome-est people ever: Taraah36, Blitz Girl, VampAcademychick120 and lychee loving! YOU GUYS ROCK! *Hands over Inuyasha plushie*

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* * *

"Rin!"

I turned to see Kagome running up behind me, waving her arms, as if she hadn't already gotten my attention. She no longer wore priestess wear, but rather a plain scarlet haori. She had given up on being a priestess when she learned that she wanted to be with Inuyasha and gave the honor back to Kaede. Her priestess powers had weakened greatly, what a waste, but at least she was happy. Of course, she never came out right and said it, but the way she made icky moon-eyes at him was enough for even me to see.

Kagome is eight years older than me. She doesn't look it though- I suppose she has just been very happy. She is nearing 25 years now, yet, she only looks 20 or so. That fact didn't boost my ego.

"Hey! Kagome!" I grinned. It was hard not to grin when I was just wishing for company and Kagome came. I returned her wave.

She sat down beside me. "Kaede wants to speak with you."

My stomach flipped. "What?" I shrieked and then covered my mouth, afraid that Kagome would leave. "Why?"

Kagome winced, but put her hand on my shoulder. If it wasn't Kagome's hand, I would have shrugged it off. She looked at me, with concern in her brown eyes. _I don't need your worry!_ I turned away-"I'll go talk to her."

I got up, leaving Kagome alone. Her black hair, which was kept in a loose tie behind her back was swaying with the wind, along with the brightly lit daisies that whispered to the tall grasses whenever the wind blew by. Her red haori, designed to match Inuyasha's looked slightly off on her, it was too big and bright, yet she didn't seem to mind. In fact, before, she didn't mind wearing the curious clothes that she had from her place either, but after all of the village girls mocked her for them, she burned them. Kagome looked lovely, _much lovelier than I will ever be_, I thought bitterly before taking one last look at my friend. She turned and looked at me.

Was that sadness in her eyes? Why? Why- She had everything anybody could possibly want.

_Everything _I _would possibly want._

I didn't try to think about it.

* * *

"Rin."

I watched the old miko climb the steps to my room. She stumbled and I rushed up and grabbed support of her arm. Lady Kaede smiled a meek smile and sat me down on my bed.

It was damp and humid inside, not to mention hot. Perhaps it was just that I had sprinted back to the village and my haori was still plastered to my back with perspiration. I grabbed a fan, a plain boring one, and handed Lady Kaede an elaborated decorated one- one that my Lord had given to me. The curtains were pulled back, only slightly, keeping my room a warm, cozy hue. I liked it that way; it was perfect. My room was spotlessly clean, something that I felt was absolutely necessary, and it did not take much effort to keep that in check, for I only had a meager number of belongings.

I pulled up a stool, one that Kohaku had helped me gather wood for. I had carved it last year out of an oak tree that the villagers had cut down for no reason. It was my masterpiece- I had spent months carving the lilac pattern into the legs of the stool; it was a pattern that I had used many times before. "Milady, please sit."

The old priestess sat, nonetheless stiffly, never taking her eyes from mine. "Rin."

"Yes?" I prayed it was not another offer. "Milady?" I added hastily, almost forgetting her title.

"I am not here to push another offer onto ye, my dear." She narrowed her eyes when I let out a long-held sigh of relief. "But, I do wish for you to take this amulet."

She placed an arrowhead amulet into my palm. Her eyes bore into mine.

I looked down into my palm, partly because her stare was creeping me out, and partly because this amulet was curious and strange.

It was cold, for the arrowhead was made of flint, like all arrowheads, and the jade beads surrounded it, strung around twine. This must have cost a fortune. Jade was so expensive I had never dreamed of owning any. Well, except for the things my Lord had given to me. I wrapped my fingers around it.

This feeling. _What _is this feeling?

I felt a twinge of spikes creeping up my arm- slowly, faintly, hardly noticeable. It slithered up my arm, twining between my fingers, circling every bit of me. _What is this feeling?_

It seeped into my skin, filling up the emptiness inside that I had never known was there. A surge of energy, pulsating in my heart and pounding in my head. I clenched my fingers around this gift, hanging on as if it was all that held me to sanity.

I felt a hunger, a desire for more of this- _power._

_Yes. Power._

I finally put a finger to this strange sensation. _Power, huh?_ This was something that I had never had before. Now I understood why my Lord had gone chasing after this.

I felt sure of myself. Safe. Reassured. Powerful. Love. Anger. Bitterness. Hate.

_W-What-What is happening to me?_

I dropped the amulet onto the wooden floor.

Distaste was evident in Lady Kaede's face as I bent down to pick it up. My face felt flushed. It seemed as though I had come out of a trance, come out of the suffocating water and took a clear, long breath back into reality. _Thank Kami._

"Child."

Her voice was distant, my ears were still pounding, blood flowing from my head to my feet. I felt dizzy and nauseous. Like that time when I had eaten that poisonous mushroom with Jaken.

"Ye almost fell prey to power."

Her voice was still so distant, but her words hit too close to home. How did she know that this amulet would do such a thing to me?

I stared at Kaede. _Explanation please? _I begged with my eyes, my throat to dry to use yet.

"This amulet contains spiritual power, of a very powerful priestess." I dropped the amulet again, this time out of shock. I didn't bother picking it up. "Ye will take the amulet and be the next priestess of this village."

"But"- I stopped. The priestess looked strange. Scared, as if.

"I will not live much longer. Ye are the one destined to take my place."

She picked up the amulet and undid the clasp. "Ye are destined." Lady Kaede fastened the knot behind my neck and let the arrowhead fall. It fell right beneath my collarbone. It was still cold.

"It is your fate."

I reached up and touched the amulet. Power. There is was again, seeping into my fingertips.

_I felt power. _I would be _powerful!_

"Ye cannot avoid your fate."

I nodded with newfound energy.

"I cannot escape my fate."


	6. Chapter 6

Hello! This chapter is kinda short... But that's because, hey, cut me some slack, it's a school day.

Thank you for reviewing, peeps! Ya'll are awesome!

Disclaimer- No, I own nothing. Haven't you gotten your fun from watching me type this over and over yet? I suppose not.

**Read and review!** And I will love you as much as I love my previous reviewers! There's plenty more love to go around!

* * *

Rin ran outside. The amulet bounced uncomfortably against her skin. Kagome was waiting beneath the Sakura tree, like she had been earlier, in the exact same position. Her heart sank. Her friend was looking so... Lonely. Rin waved and Kagome's wistful disposition vanished.

"Hi! Rin!" The fake-ness of the cheer in her voice made Rin's smile waver. Kagome scooted over, a gesture that told Rin to sit down, which she gladly did. "You talked to Lady Kaede?"

Rin tried not to wince as she fingered the pendant.

It was still ice-cold, emanating that strong force that branded her fingers when she came in contact, yet Rin was sure she shivered for a _very_ different reason. "Yeah."

Kagome's smile slid off her face and was replaced by a look of... Was it remorse? Rin nibbled on her bottom lip- what was wrong? Maybe she had a run-in with Inuyasha... She stared into her friend's eyes. No. This strange expression was definitely not remorse.

Then she spoke. Rin had to strain her ears to hear the words that she did not want to hear. "You're a priestess now."

"Wh-How did you know?" Rin jumped back in pain, she had bitten down on her lip, and then sat back down, feeling violated as though somebody had intruded on her peaceful life. _Get a grip. That's silly. Kagome's your best friend. _

"Oh, Kaede spoke to me earlier." Kagome's voice was once again fakely excited. It made Rin want to puke."Let's go get you into priestess wear!"

Rin stared. _No way. _She liked her plain white haori's- plus wasn't there more to do than just choose out clothing like all of the other shallow girls? Rin had been looking forward to killing more demons and practicing with her bow and arrow until she rivaled the previous priestess, Kagome.

She locked eyes with the fuming (resigned) priestess and sighed.

Rin gave in. It was hard not to. She let Kagome's cheer wash over her and allowed herself to be dragged, like a rag-doll to Kagome's vast closet for "outfit-picking."

* * *

"There! You look just like I did!" Kagome spun Rin around, awarded with a soft giggle from the newly-acquainted priestess. Rin blushed and fiddled with the sleeves.

"Thank you, Lady Kagome."

"No problem, Lady Rin." Kagome chuckled and Rin blushed deeper.

"Oh! Stop it!" She playfully slapped at Kagome who ducked and tossed Rin her bow and arrows.

"Go test out your new powers, Rin!"

"Are you coming?" Rin called, while busily strapping on her arrows and her dagger. She tucked her sword into her sash. It hung comfortably.

"Oh... I can't. But you go ahead and check out those new upgrades!" Kagome winked and waved.

Rin pushed aside the curtain and winced at the bright sunlight. _Ah. _She blinked and hurried down to the forest, trying to avoid any prying eyes. She was tempted to go over to Kohaku, who was helping men cut lumber with his weapon, but wisely thought against it, for he would have a heart attack if she told him. He caught Rin looking and grinned.

Kohaku waved. "Rin! Where are you going?"

"Oh..." _Think fast! Think fast! _"Back to the village."

_IDIOT!_ She mentally slapped herself. _What kind of excuse was that! Damn!_

"Er... Actually, I was going to go take a bath." _Aha! _"I guess I'll be going!"

Kohaku didn't even bother questioning any further. He wasn't like Miroku and wanted to stay like that. Flushing, he turned back to the smirking men. "Aww! Shuddap!" He tossed his weapon down at the feet of the village men and stalked away. They chuckled.

* * *

Rin ran hard, legs strumming against the ground in an even beat. She was breathing hard, but barely noticed, her stomach was churning with excitement.

Suddenly, she felt a sour feeling of remorse. _Where the hell did that come from?_ Rin stopped suddenly, clutching her abdomen, the source of the empty feeling that was eating away at her, and frowned. She gripped her bow, afraid that it would disappear into thin air and leave her waking from a dream. _Damn it! _

_What is this..._

Rin felt guilty. Guilty? Of what?

_Nothing! No-THING!_

She stood up, shaking herself of her fears and reassuring herself that it was her _fate. _She wasn't doing anything wrong. Afterall, Kaede was sick and could barely ingest food so Rin had no choice; how could she turn back?

Rin didn't like the idea of somebody else pulling the strings behind her life. Even if it was her "fate". How did Kaede even know?

_Now, idiot. _She forced herself to stop doubting Kaede. Kaede was strong and brave, there was no way that she would put her adopted child into unneccesary danger. _Unneccesary danger. Does this mean she'll put me in _neccesary _danger? _

_Of course she will, moron. Now stop thinking._

She climbed over the wooden fence. Her pant got caught on the post. _Dammit._

Rin yanked and pulled, cursing as her pants came loose from the snag. She fell down, arrows pressing against her neck in choking pressure. _Dammit. Again._

A girl was watching her wild-eyed.

_Wow. Way to start off your day. _She mentally chided. _Before long, even the villagers won't have respect for you anymore. _

She stood, brushing leaves off her newly acquired pant. Kagome would be upset if her only pair were ripped.

Rin pushed out her chest, pretending that fall had never happened, and marched off into the forest.

_You can do it, Rin! Let's go get 'em!_

She broke into a run, feeling the wind against her face, leaves tangled in her hair, ground soft against her feet... Rocks hard against her face.

Her foot was stuck in a tree root.

_Dammit!__

* * *

YAY! DONE! _


	7. Chapter 7

No, you're not dreaming, I truly did update! :D Thank you reviewers!

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(In other words, DON'T SUE ME. I DON'T OWN ANYTHING. I'M NOT THAT SPECIAL.)

Alright. *Panting* Now that we've got that over with... **Read and review! **PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!

* * *

I am cold.

That is to be expected, after all. The first tentative little flakes had begun falling yesterday, only to grow into a nightmare. I had tied extra cloths that had been lying around over each of the openings and nooks and crannies in my room to prevent a sneaky rift of wind to wriggle in. My priestess kimono is definitely _not_ suitable for the winter-however "_holy"_ it is- I think I could feel warmer with no clothes on. But then again, it is my one and only kimono and I know better than to complain to the already money-deprived village women about lack of furs.

I had been helping the men yesterday haul their crops in before the harsh winter caught up with them. I know that we've been a bit late with the crop planting and harvesting this year, because of the bitter snow season last year that lasted two months later than usual. Even now, some of the potatoes are still budding.

This hardly-promising harvest of crops is slowly breaking down the village. First, the women had stopped the import of furs when the price soared unbelievably high. Next, luxury jewelry and nice katana are being sold to maintain living neccesities; soon, even Kaede had to stop the importing of weapons and arrows, seeing as the village was becoming more and more desperate for food and cothing, to be able to support the children in the village. Even bandits and thieves don't bother to raid our poor village anymore, the only "plus" side of this destructive recession. I, being the "village protector" and all, have this very nasty, clawing feeling in the pits of my stomach that I am to blame for this failure to the innocent people and children.

To make up for this lack of "whatever", I gave all of my Lord's presents of fine silks kimonos and ivory or bone combs to the children and women. I sold all of my useless and superficial jewelry to the nearby, very-much-thriving village, to afford a bundle of tools and swords for the village men's protection. I took Mitsuko up as my apprentice, just a couple sunrises ago, and literally hung her up by her ears on a thin, weathered clothing lines to make her promise to stop with all of the mischievous escapades. Mitsuko had definitely been upset that I had not chosen her, her disapproval obvious on her face. I do not wish to ruin their close sisterly relationship- one that I never had the chance to experience- and will do my best to keep them close. Sango just birthed a boy, I was the midwife, and I would not mind waiting another million years before another child birth. But that is inevitable, if this village is to continue to thrive, which it is threateningly tending to not, we must keep a steady birth rate of our young blossoms. Kagome and Inuyasha have gone off to another village without a goodbye; I do not think that this boring and disintegrating village was enough for the ecstatic couple.

My Lord, are you thriving? I write this down with fingers as numb as tree branches, hardly able to hold a brush.

I am tired, my callused hands are aching and my back is pained. I wonder how you are doing. While I work outside in the fields, digging through the dirt in desperation of finding any scrawny crops, are you resting in your castle, being tended and pampered my your lovely lady-servants?

While I sell my meager belongings to try to bring food to the opened mouths of the children in this village, are you standing on you balcony looking over your vast kingdom?

While I sit on the frosty ground, thinking about you, are you thinking about me too?

* * *

AWWW. Ok. Yay. I know it's short... I know. Don't kill me. *holds up plushie Tensiega*

Wait... That thing can't even cut in real life.

... Where'd I put my Baksuiaga?

See this guy? He likes being clicked.

VVVVV


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